Movies rated R under the system devised by the Motion Picture Association of America have a lot of leeway to show explicit sexual activity, and are almost unfettered in their depiction of violence. Many times, filmmakers abuse that latitude and the results are cringeworthy clunkers. (These, on the other hand, are the best R-rated movies of all time.)
To determine the worst R-rated movies of all time, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of April 2023, weighting all ratings equally. Only movies with at least 10,000 user votes on IMDb and 10 critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes were considered. Cast and director credits are from IMDb.
Among the movies on our R-rated misfire list are sequels, some of which followed box-office successes. “Basic Instinct,” starring Sharon Stone, grossed more than $352 million worldwide; Stone might have regretted making the sequel, “Basic Instinct 2,” which managed less than $39 million. The original “Escape Plan” brought together action-movie stars Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger and earned a 50% score from Rotten Tomatoes critics and a 55% score from audiences. The sequels, with Stallone but not Schwarzenegger, disappointed both groups: “Escape Plan 2: Hades” got an 8% rating from critics, 14% from the public, while “Escape Plan: The Extractors” had an 11% audience score and was no ignored by critics that its score is non-existent. (These are the worst movies from every major franchise.)
Click here for a ranking of the worst R-rated movies of all time
Horror movies, which often walk a fine line between horror and hilarity, chalked up a number of losers on our list, among them “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” “Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday,” “The Gallows,” and “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2.”
German director Uwe Boll, whose movies routinely end up on dreadful-film tallies, has three of the four worst R-rated flicks listed here, including the single worst one of all – 2003’s “House of the Dead.”.
50. Misconduct (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 5.3/10 (15,686 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 22% (1,158 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 7% (28 reviews)
> Starring: Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino
> Directed by: Shintaro Shimosawa
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49. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 4.7/10 (71,130 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 29% (371,427 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 7% (57 reviews)
> Starring: Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., Brandy Norwood
> Directed by: Danny Cannon
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48. Knock Off (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 4.9/10 (14,651 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 25% (10,471 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 8% (40 reviews)
> Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Rob Schneider, Lela Rochon
> Directed by: Hark Tsui
47. ATM (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 4.7/10 (23,369 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 23% (10,072 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 12% (26 reviews)
> Starring: Alice Eve, Josh Peck, Brian Geraghty
> Directed by: David Brooks
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46. Stripteаse (1996)
> IMDb user rating: 4.5/10 (44,540 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 24% (54,006 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 13% (71 reviews)
> Starring: Demi Moore, Burt Reynolds, Armand Assante
> Directed by: Andrew Bergman
45. Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 4.2/10 (30,419 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 24% (59,645 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 16% (19 reviews)
> Starring: John D. LeMay, Kari Keegan, Kane Hodder
> Directed by: Adam Marcus
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44. The Pyramid (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 4.6/10 (23,938 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 21% (13,822 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 14% (44 reviews)
> Starring: Ashley Hinshaw, James Buckley, Denis O’Hare
> Directed by: Grégory Levasseur
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43. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 4.6/10 (35,754 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 27% (62,119 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 8% (25 reviews)
> Starring: Jensen Daggett, Kane Hodder, Todd Caldecott
> Directed by: Rob Hedden
42. Get a Job (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 5.3/10 (22,598 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 21% (5,287 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 5% (22 reviews)
> Starring: Miles Teller, Anna Kendrick, Bryan Cranston
> Directed by: Dylan Kidd
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41. The Informers (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 4.9/10 (16,398 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 18% (18,510 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 12% (106 reviews)
> Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke
> Directed by: Gregor Jordan
40. Devil’s Due (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 4.1/10 (16,398 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 21% (21,175 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 18% (56 reviews)
> Starring: Allison Miller, Zach Gilford, Sam Anderson
> Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett
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39. Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 4.4/10 (13,142 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 10% (430 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 25% (12 reviews)
> Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Dave Bautista, 50 Cent
> Directed by: John Herzfeld
38. Lost Souls (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 4.8/10 (10,773 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 22% (10,743 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 8% (91 reviews)
> Starring: Winona Ryder, Ben Chaplin, Sarah Wynter
> Directed by: Janusz Kaminski
37. The Gallows (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 4.3/10 (19,962 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 22% (13,383 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 14% (119 reviews)
> Starring: Reese Mishler, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos
> Directed by: Travis Cluff & Chris Lofing
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36. College (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 4.6/10 (12,291 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 27% (67,974 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 5% (43 reviews)
> Starring: Drake Bell, Kevin Covais, Andrew Lewis Caldwell
> Directed by: Deb Hagan
35. Captivity (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 4.6/10 (22,890 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 23% (328,903 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 9% (78 reviews)
> Starring: Elisha Cuthbert, Daniel Gillies, Pruitt Taylor Vince
> Directed by: Roland Joffé
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34. The Snowman (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 5.1/10 (61,013 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 18% (11,331 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 7% (200 reviews)
> Starring: Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg
> Directed by: Tomas Alfredson
33. Body of Evidence (1992)
> IMDb user rating: 4.5/10 (14,782 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 23% (8,499 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 8% (38 reviews)
> Starring: Madonna, Willem Dafoe, Joe Mantegna
> Directed by: Uli Edel
32. Basic Instinct 2 (2006)
> IMDb user rating: 4.4/10 (38,643 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 26% (89,168 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 6% (157 reviews)
> Starring: Sharon Stone, David Morrissey, David Thewlis
> Directed by: Michael Caton-Jones
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31. Behaving Badly (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 4.4/10 (11,442 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 29% (3,976 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 0% (17 reviews)
> Starring: Nat Wolff, Selena Gomez, Mary-Louise Parker
> Directed by: Tim Garrick
30. The Canyons (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 3.8/10 (11,143 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 15% (3,190 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 21% (96 reviews)
> Starring: Lindsay Lohan, James Deen, Nolan Gerard Funk
> Directed by: Paul Schrader
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29. Barb Wire (1996)
> IMDb user rating: 3.4/10 (27,219 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 14% (47,295 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 27% (37 reviews)
> Starring: Pamela Anderson, Amir AboulEla, Adriana Alexander
> Directed by: David Hogan
28. Cell (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 4.4/10 (26,904 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 17% (3,871 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 11% (55 reviews)
> Starring: John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson, Isabelle Fuhrman
> Directed by: Tod Williams
27. Siberia (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 4.3/10 (14,222 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 17% (365 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 12% (49 reviews)
> Starring: Keanu Reeves, Boris Gulyarin, Ashley St. George
> Directed by: Matthew Ross
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26. Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 4.3/10 (16,931 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 20% (49,540 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 9% (85 reviews)
> Starring: Jennifer Morrison, Matthew Davis, Hart Bochner
> Directed by: John Ottman
25. Dying of the Light (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 4.5/10 (10,326 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 15% (990 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 11% (37 reviews)
> Starring: Nicolas Cage, Anton Yelchin, Alexander Karim
> Directed by: Paul Schrader
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24. Species II (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 4.4/10 (28,558 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 18% (39,287 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 9% (33 reviews)
> Starring: Natasha Henstridge, Michael Madsen, Marg Helgenberger
> Directed by: Peter Medak
23. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 4.0/10 (37,056 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 18% (58,191 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 14% (108 reviews)
> Starring: Jeffrey Donovan, Stephen Barker Turner, Erica Leerhsen
> Directed by: Joe Berlinger
22. Movie 43 (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 4.3/10 (102,415 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 24% (35,730 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 4% (89 reviews)
> Starring: Emma Stone, Stephen Merchant, Richard Gere
> Directed by: Peter Farrelly & others
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21. Universal Soldier: The Return (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 4.2/10 (28,800 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 24% (43,491 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 5% (58 reviews)
> Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bill Goldberg, Heidi Schanz
> Directed by: Mic Rodgers
20. Piranha 3DD (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 3.7/10 (41,342 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 22% (22,593 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 13% (53 reviews)
> Starring: Danielle Panabaker, Ving Rhames, David Hasselhoff
> Directed by: John Gulager
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19. The Prince (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 4.6/10 (18,119 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 23% (3,130 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 0% (10 reviews)
> Starring: Jason Patric, Bruce Willis, John Cusack
> Directed by: Brian A. Miller
18. I Know Who Killed Me (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 3.6/10 (29,128 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 26% (142,880 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 9% (78 reviews)
> Starring: Lindsay Lohan, Julia Ormond, Neal McDonough
> Directed by: Chris Sivertson
17. Fair Game (1995)
> IMDb user rating: 4.3/10 (12,661 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 14% (9,403 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 12% (25 reviews)
> Starring: William Baldwin, Cindy Crawford, Steven Berkoff
> Directed by: Andrew Sipes
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16. The Devil Inside (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 4.2/10 (35,473 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 22% (45,206 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 5% (91 reviews)
> Starring: Fernanda Andrade, Simon Quarterman, Evan Helmuth
> Directed by: William Brent Bell
15. Stan Helsing (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 3.6/10 (13,237 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 18% (6,017 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 14% (21 reviews)
> Starring: Steve Howey, Diora Baird, Kenan Thompson
> Directed by: Bo Zenga
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14. Exposed (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 4.3/10 (14,676 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 15% (1,225 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 8% (25 reviews)
> Starring: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Christopher McDonald
> Directed by: Gee Malik Linton
13. Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
> IMDb user rating: 3.8/10 (23,430 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 13% (36,486 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 15% (27 reviews)
> Starring: Richard Burton, Linda Blair, Louise Fletcher
> Directed by: John Boorman & Rospo Pallenberg
12. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 3.3/10 (21,308 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 18% (31,094 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 16% (37 reviews)
> Starring: Renée Zellweger, Matthew McConaughey, Robert Jacks
> Directed by: Kim Henkel
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11. The Last Thing He Wanted (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 4.3/10 (13,989 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 14% (343 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 5% (55 reviews)
> Starring: Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Rosie Perez
> Directed by: Dee Rees
10. Vice (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 4.2/10 (16,067 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 15% (1,735 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 4% (27 reviews)
> Starring: Thomas Jane, Bruce Willis, Ambyr Childers
> Directed by: Brian A. Miller
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9. Escape Plan 2: Hades (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 3.9/10 (30,186 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 14% (822 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 8% (26 reviews)
> Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Dave Bautista, Xiaoming Huang
> Directed by: Steven C. Miller
8. Fifty Shades of Black (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 3.5/10 (20,729 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 19% (11,164 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 7% (46 reviews)
> Starring: Marlon Wayans, Kali Hawk, Fred Willard
> Directed by: Michael Tiddes
7. Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 3.2/10 (11,794 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 25% (13,032 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 3% (36 reviews)
> Starring: Nick Swardson, Don Johnson, Christina Ricci
> Directed by: Tom Brady
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6. Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 3.7/10 (19,804 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 19% (23,008 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 0% (118 reviews)
> Starring: Antonio Banderas, Lucy Liu, Talisa Soto
> Directed by: Wych Kaosayananda
5. Feardotcom (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 3.4/10 (21,048 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 18% (57,870 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 3% (101 reviews)
> Starring: Stephen Dorff, Natascha McElhone, Stephen Rea
> Directed by: William Malone
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4. BloodRayne (2005)
> IMDb user rating: 2.9/10 (35,004 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 17% (135,993 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 4% (54 reviews)
> Starring: Kristanna Loken, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Rodriguez
> Directed by: Uwe Boll
3. Gigli (2003)
> IMDb user rating: 2.5/10 (48,144 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 13% (45,238 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 6% (188 reviews)
> Starring: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bartha
> Directed by: Martin Brest
2. Alone in the Dark (2005)
> IMDb user rating: 2.4/10 (45,033 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 11% (57,801 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 1% (123 reviews)
> Starring: Christian Slater, Tara Reid, Stephen Dorff
> Directed by: Uwe Boll
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1. House of the Dead (2003)
> IMDb user rating: 2.1/10 (36,809 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 10% (46,870 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 3% (61 reviews)
> Starring: Jonathan Cherry, Tyron Leitso, Clint Howard
> Directed by: Uwe Boll
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